Meatless Monday

Meatless Monday: 100 Years [Looking Back, Looking Forward] Introduction eatless Monday as most people know it troduced in 1917 to conserve rations for troops M today began in 2003 with the work of fighting overseas in World War I and, later, World ad man Sid Lerner and Dr. Bob Lawrence, the War II. But the impacts of these initiatives went founding director of the Johns Hopkins Center far beyond rationing to mobilize communities, for a Livable Future. What began as a health-fo- expand education and promote public health. cused response to the problem of animal pro- Lessons from these early initiatives have striking duction and consumption has evolved today into similarities to public health issues today and may a movement addressing health, environment, serve to add context and wisdom as we navigate climate, human and animal welfare with one the world around us. With the focus on reducing simple message, “Once a week, cut out meat.” at-home consumption of meat during the first But the idea of a meatless day was not totally and second World Wars, Meatless Tuesdays (later new in 2003; it harkened back to the United Meatless Mondays) was founded on principles States as it entered World War I 100 years ago. that remain relevant and effective today in the National meatless (and wheatless) days were in- modern effort to reduce meat consumption. World War I The first recorded meatless day actually Administration was tasked with reducing meat, pre-dated the United States World War I meat wheat and dairy consumption in American reduction efforts. In Great Britain, meatless homes in order to save these products for days were initiated in 1916, but by May 1917, American and Allied troops in the European they were abolished because eating meatless theater. Unlike strict rationing in many put too much strain on the bread supply. In the European countries, the Food Administration United States, the earliest newspaper mention chose to pursue voluntary reduction over of meatless days is on May 14, 1917, when mandatory restrictions and launched a food Mississippi Governor Theo C. Bilbo issued a consumption campaign that led to a 15 percent proclamation urging Mississippians to have one reduction in overall household food con- meatless and one wheatless day each week sumption between 1918 and 1919.3 At the throughout the war.1 Leader of the Wisconsin core of this campaign was a national Meatless State Council of Defense Magnus Swenson in- Tuesday and Wheatless Wednesday campaign stituted the first official, statewide Meatless announced by Hoover beginning October 30. Tuesday on September 18, 1917, in Wisconsin.2 Hoover was the right man for the job. Born in The history of a national meatless day 1874 to an Iowan Quaker community, Hoover begins with Herbert Hoover and the Food studied mining at Stanford University, where Administration, founded and funded by he met his wife Lou Henry, the only woman Congress in August 1917. Led by Hoover, the studying geology at the college at the time. [1] An engineer, Hoover became writes, “John McE Bowman famous for his skillful orches- of the US Food Commission Lessons from tration of the movement of vast has reports from every hotel World War I amounts of food to Belgium association, restaurant organi- ▶ Voluntary reduction and other European countries zation, and many other public over mandatory for famine relief during the dining room bodies that they restrictions, including war. Raised and trained in will make Tuesday beefless for Meatless and Wheatless a time when a belief in the the period of the war.”6 The Days during WWI led to a 15% reduction in power of science was on the first national beefless Tuesday overall household food rise, Hoover, like many others in hotels and restaurants was consumption between of his time, believed that en- October 9, 1917, even before 1918 and 1919. gineering and other scientif- Hoover’s national Meatless The use of mass media ic disciplines could be used Tuesday announcement. ▶ and other forms to construct a better—even In January, 1918, a bill was of propaganda to perfect—society. This better introduced in the House that encourage meatless society would be more fair, days worked most would make meatless days more efficient and more scien- successfully on middle- in hotels and restaurants tific. Hoover’s role in the Food and upper-income meat mandatory by giving the Food Administration reflected his consumption. Administration the ability belief in the capacity of rational to enforce meatless days. It ▶ A large swathe of science to shape society. In participation in meatless is unclear whether the bill fact, the use of mass media and days came from worker was passed or whether the other forms of propaganda to associations, hospitals Food Administration actually encourage meatless days was and restaurants. enforced meatless days. But a form of social engineering As working class in New York City, meatless ▶ that worked successfully on incomes rose during the days were so enforced that middle- and upper‑class meat war thanks to industrial one newspaper article reports consumption at the time. jobs, working class the trial and punishment of 57 families were able, and A large swathe of participa- city restaurant owners for not willing, to increase their tion in meatless days came observing meatless Tuesdays. meat consumption, from worker associations. The owners found guilty which was very low to begin with. The Traveling Salesman were ordered to close their Association pledged over restaurants for one day: the ▶ Reducing meat and 600,000 salesmen to following meatless Tuesday.7 other sacrifices were observe one meatless day viewed as patriotic, At the beginning of the new per week. Similarly, the Food contributing to the year (1918), several events nation’s security. Administration Restaurant occurred that marked the end and Hotel Committee adopted of the government push for beefless Tuesdays and Fridays meatless days. In January, a across the nation.4 5 One article [2] surplus of cattle caused by a lack of transpor- The success of the Meatless Tuesday campaign tation led Hoover to announce a hiatus from actually reducing meat consumption is debated. meatless days in the western states in order While many middle- and upper-income house- to consume the surplus.8 That same month, holds successfully decreased their meat con- Armour Packing and Company released a sumption by several pounds per person day, study asserting that meat consumption by the many lower-income households actually public had decreased by 25 percent. Meat pro- purchased more meat during the war. One dis- duction, however, increased dramatically, and gruntled journalist wrote. “Six days out of the Armour and other meat packing companies week are meatless days to the salaried man were doing more business than ever with Uncle here,”11 highlighting the already low meat con- Sam.9 In March of 1918, a poor crop harvest sumption of the working and lower classes. led farmers to feed immature corn to pigs, 57As working class incomes rose during the war fattening them beyond normal sizes. When all thanks to industrial jobs, working class families appears these fattened pigsIt came to market,that we combinedin the UnitedwereStates able,consumed and willing,before to increasethe war. their meat from 96 to 98 per cent of our total production of beef (Table 40), 12 with the increasedbut numberthat in ofthe pigsyears and cows1915 to 1918 consumption.we consumed a Levensteinless proportion writesof that, “He produced in the Midwest,the total thereproduction. was an oversupStill in- spite[Hoover]of that ascribedfact we ‘thesedid curiousconsume developments,’ more per capita in those years than in the prewar years, except 1911. ply of meat and anThis undersupplyis accounted of transportafor by the- muchwhichlarger causedproduction beef consumptionduring the to actually tion to take this meatthree toyears Alliedjust troops.past. Hoover rise over ‘pre-war normal’ to the ‘increasing apparently supplies relinquished While we were richer in beef we 13 declared a 30-daya restlarger fromproportion meatless daysin the last threeprosperityyears of thethe industrialwar. For classes.’”each A 1919 across the countryperson to consumein the surpluses,United States and duringbook1918, on1917, meat andconsumption1916 a total in theof war years pounds country, prewar they were not reinstated15.6 againwent duringout theof war.the10 showswhile thatthe pertotal capitafor consumptionthe of beef years was only 6.3 pounds. (Tables 41 and 42.) TABLE 40.-BEEF—Per cent total consumption of total production. Month. 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 January--------------|----------|--------------------|----------|---------- 96.21 93.33 97.35. February------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|---------- 98.17 100.35 96.91 March----------------|----------|--------------------|-------------------. 97.44 98.28 86.93. April-----------------|----------|----------|----------|-------------------- 99.39 97.47 98.10. May------------------|----------|----------|----------|-------------------- 98.22 93.13 89.77 June------------------------------------------------------------------- 95.32 94.47 91.76 July------------------|----------|--------------------|-------------------- 94.98 94.58 88.04 August.--------------|----------|----------|----------|-------------------- 97.10 94.58 92.02 September-----------|----------|----------|----------|-------------------- 94.96 93.15 94.62 October..............l..............................l...................

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